devil’s livery
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Black and yellow. From the mourning and quarantine uses of the colours.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “devil’s livery” mean?
Black and yellow. From the mourning and quarantine uses of the colours.
Is “devil’s livery” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.